Eugene Randolph Hager

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Eugene Randolph Hager on May 31st at age 94. Known to most as Randy, he will be remembered by many for his love of family, adventure and travel, and his remarkable career in nuclear energy.

Randy was born in Omaha, Nebraska on August 3, 1930, to Eugene Hayes Hager and Annabelle Francis (Kise) Hager. He attended elementary and high school in Omaha and finished his senior year in 1948 at Wauwatosa High, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After attending Marquette University in Milwaukee, he moved to Los Angeles in 1953 to start the next chapter of his life. He joined Atomics International in 1954 where he helped build the Sodium Reactor Experiment, one of the nation’s first nuclear reactors, launching his career in the nuclear energy field.

Randy and Pauline Papacalos, the love of his life, met in Long Beach, CA, and were married there in 1956. The following year the young couple moved to San Diego, where Randy began a long career with General Atomics. Their son Christopher was born in 1958, followed by Barry in 1963. While still employed part time at GA, Randy attended San Diego State University and received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. While at SDSU he was inducted into Pi Tau Sigma, the national honorary mechanical engineering fraternity. He received an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. General Atomics sent Randy and his family to New Jersey in 1970, then to South Carolina in 1971 where he participated in the design and building of the Barnwell Nuclear Fuel Plant.

Upon returning to San Diego in 1975, Randy continued his employment with General Atomics, working in the Fusion Group. At various times he served as Manager, Doublet IIA Engineering, then Manager, DIII Mechanical Engineering, and Project Manager for fabrication and assembly of the TFTR Lithium Blanket Module. He was a lecturer on the faculty of the College of Engineering at San Diego State University for two years. For several years Randy was Manager of In-Vessel Remote Maintenance for the Compact Ignition Tokamak and devised the initial maintenance concepts and remote handling equipment. Randy was known throughout the industry as an expert in robotics and remote maintenance. Following a brief retirement, Randy and Pauline moved to Japan, where he spent two and a half years as a member of the Joint Central Team of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor program. Randy was a Registered Professional Mechanical Engineer and Nuclear Engineer in California.

Randy and his family travelled throughout the county, with long cross-county automobile trips and visits to National Parks across the land. After retirement, love of travel took Randy and Pauline across the globe, with trips to Europe, Russia, China and Thailand. Randy had a lifelong fascination with trains, which led to many trips to visit excursion railroads, often with son Barry and grandson Stephen. He enjoyed sports cars when younger and tackling home projects and auto mechanics throughout his life. In his retirement, Randy took up garden-scale model railroading, leading to more trips with Pauline for garden railroad club meetups. Randy and Pauline had many lifelong friends they met while living in various places.

To Randy’s family, he was a devoted husband and father. He was there for every family birthday and holiday over the years, and he and Pauline hosted countless gatherings and dinners with extended family. He is survived by son, Barry (Hilary), and his two grandsons, Stephen and Dylan. Randy was predeceased by his younger sister, Linda Bell (Oliver) Pflaster, and very recently by his wife Pauline and son Chris. He is also survived by two younger brothers, Thomas and Michael Bowlin.

Interment will be with El Camino Memorial Park, San Diego, CA. A joint celebration for life for Randy and Pauline will be held on July 26, 2025. For details, email [email protected].